Inspiring Stories: A disability doesn't define motherhood

We spoke to Sally, who is mum to our MORI Model, Jack, all about what female empowerment means to her, how having Jack changed her life and why Down Syndrome doesn't define motherhood.

- Who is the most empowering woman in your life?
The most empowering woman in my life is my mother - she has always taught me that you can achieve anything you want as long as you’re willing to work hard. And she proved that last year by getting her PhD at the age of 72!

- What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell my younger self not to worry so much about planning my life out. There wasn’t a single thing that went as I’d planned it and everything worked out much better than I’d ever imagined it would! Sometimes it’s ok to relax a little and just let life happen.

- How has becoming a mother to Jack empowered you?
Being Jack’s mother has empowered me more than I could ever have dreamed. When we found out that Jack had Down Syndrome it was a huge shock and, early on, there were times that I wondered how his diagnosis was going to change my experience of motherhood. What I’ve found is that loving Jack is the easiest thing in the world - as natural as breathing, and everything else about being a mother is less important than that incredible overwhelming love. As a result, I’ve found I have immense strength to deal with anything and everything that’s thrown at us because it’s just what being a mother means to me.

The Lucky Few tattoo that I got for Jack’s first birthday is a symbol of that love and strength and when people see it and ask me what it represents I’m so proud to be able to be able to tell people all about Down Syndrome and my amazing, wonderful son.

- What are your favourite MORI products?

• The Clever Sleeping Bag (Jack has 2 in the Lunar colourway so that we can have one in the wash and he still has one to use - he never goes to bed without it on!)
• The MORI Snugsuit (absolutely the snuggliest outerwear you could get, I’m devastated that Jack is about to grow out of his)
• The MORI Star Throw (we have 2 of these as well. They’re really great for popping down on the floor to make sure your little one has a nice clean surface to play on)
• The Zip-Up sleepsuit (it’s so unbelievably soft, Jack relaxes for bed the moment we change him into it)

I love MORI because everything is always so amazingly soft and snuggly. Jack is always comfortable and relaxed when he’s wearing MORI.